Another Victory
by WinButler
Summary: Mello beats Near in a test for the first time ever and gloats just a little too much. How can he ever make it up to Near? Mello x Near. Fluff.


WB: Another Mello x Near one shot. Yay.

Another Victory

It was 10:30 am, the beginning of Math class for the more senior residents of the orphanage, and Mello and Matt were slumped in their chairs, already bored out of their minds. Today was advanced trigonometric functions and logarithms. BORING. As if Mello couldn't do all that stuff already.

The only upshot was that they were having their weekly test handed back that day. Mello _would _beat Near this time. He had to. He had studied so hard. It was impossible that Near would beat him. He just knew it.

Near's paper was handed back to him. The white haired boy shrugged. 94. That was acceptable. That would work. Probably. After all, intrinsic coordinates wasn't exactly the easiest topic.

Matt not-so-subtly leaned over his shoulder, attempting to look at his marks.

Near rolled his eyes. "If you want to know what I got, Matt, just ask."

Matt looked a little sheepish, but there was a glint in his eye. "Near, what did you get?"

"94. What did you get?"

Matt sighed. "88. I'm getting there..."

"And what about Mello?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't looked at his paper yet. Hold on one moment."

Matt hissed at Mello. "Hey! Mello! What d'you get?"

Mello smirked. "97. That's pretty good, huh?"

Matt's mouth fell open. "What?"

Mello looked at him, puzzled. "What's up?"

"You...you beat Near. YOU BEAT NEAR!"

"Yeah right."

"I'm serious! He got a 94!"

"Show me his paper."

Matt snaffled the white-haired boy's paper while he was talking to Linda, and shoved it in front of Mello's face.

It was difficult to describe the sound that Mello made when he saw Near's grade, but some would have said it was akin to the sound a bird makes. Or indeed, the sound Misa would have made had she walked in on Light and L...exploring new uses for handcuffs.

Except this was a happy sound.

"You have to be kidding! I beat Near! Ha! This is the greatest day EVER!"

"No, Mello, calm down, you don't want to make him feel bad - "

"Like hell I don't! Do you see this, Near? I have a 97. You have a 94. I think in some circles, that would be considered _beating _you. Because, you know, 7 is a higher number than 4. Not that you would know, considering your score!"

"Hey." Said Matt, a little perturbed. "I got a lower grade than Near."

"And you're the one that's always saying how much better you are than me at Math."

This was so patently untrue that Near did not even trouble to reply.

"And look at that. Stupid little Mello, always worse than Near, always second best. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. I'm-So-Smart?"

Near said nothing. He burst into tears, and in a very uncharacteristic display of emotion, ran out of the room.

Everyone was silent for a few moments.

"Well." Said Matt finally. "That wasn't very nice, Mello."

Their teacher growled irritably. "If you can't be a gracious winner, Mello, then you clearly don't have what it takes to be L's successor. I'm giving you a time out. Go to your room. I'm sending someone along to make sure you stay there."

Mello did not move.

"Mello! Go! Right now! If you do not move, so help me God, I will ban you from chocolate for a month!"

Mello scarpered.

--

By six o clock, Mello's mood had not improved. He couldn't figure out why he was so angry, he had beaten Near after all. There was no reason to be angry with him. Stupid Near, why did he have to go and make a scene like that? What was the point? Besides, Mello had never seen Near cry before. He wasn't at all sure the boy was even capable of emotions. Damn Near. He screwed everything up. Mello wasn't mad at him. He was mad at _himself. _

"Will you just go apologise already?" said Matt, not looking up from his DS. "Your negativity is totally getting on my nerves."

"I'm not apologising to him. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Then tell me why you feel terrible instead of victorious?"

"This is none of your business, OK, Matt? Concentrate on your stupid game."

"I am."

It was a few minutes later when Mello stormed out of their room, ostensibly in a huff, but in reality sneaking over to Near's room.

He knocked on the door, not expecting much. If he was lucky Near would at least hear him out. If he was unlucky Near would become even more un-Near and hit him.

Near opened the door to find a shameful looking Mello standing there. "What do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to you."

"By all means."

Mello entered and sat next to Near on his bed. "Um...Near. I just wanted to say, well..."

"Yes?"

Mello rolled his eyes. "I wanted to..you know. _Apologise. _That thing."

"Oh. Well, OK." Near did not look thrilled.

"Um. Is it OK? I mean, do you accept my apology?"

"I guess so."

"You guess so. Right. Um, is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Near batted his pale eyelashes and bit his lip. "I...don't know, Mello. Why, what did you have in mind?"

Mello blushed, only noticing then how very cute Near looked and how close he was to Near's face.

Mello threw caution to the wind. He pressed his lips against Near's in a tentative kiss. Near gasped into the kiss, throwing Mello off.

"I'm sorry. Was that not OK? I didn't mean to..."

"No." Replied Near. "It was fine. I mean, it was good."

"Well, um...do you want to do it again?"

This time it was Near's turn to blush. "OK."

Their lips met once again, Mello's hands reaching up to cup Near's face, his fingers laced in the boy's snow hair.

As much as Near was enjoying the kiss, he was having to try very hard not to laugh.

_Exactly as planned!_

A 94? Please. Near was surprised they bought it.

Another victory for Near, then.

--

END

WB: Damn, Near is sneaky. O.o


End file.
